We’re starting the week off with a giveaway, folks! Exciting!

Chronicle Books was nice enough to send along a copy of 1 2 3 Sew: Build Your Skills with 33 Simple Projects by Ellen Lucket Baker for me to check out, and I love this book for beginner sewers and more experienced ones alike!

The book features projects in groups of three, and each of those three projects builds on techniques from the project that came before it. As the holidays come up, keep this one in mind for the novice sewer in your life — the progression of techniques taught in this book is such a great way to learn!

Project patterns are included in an envelope on the inside front cover, which I tend to prefer over books that have you download from the internet. I know downloading only the patterns you need saves paper, but the last thing you want to do when you’re bit with the crafting bug on any random Saturday is to have to fire up the computer and printer and do those extra steps.

I also love the practical nature of the included projects. By now, tons of us have some kind of shelving that accomodates those fabric cube bins, and this book includes directions on how to make your own! We’re not limited to plain ol’ red or tan or blue canvas, people!! Placemats, tote bags, pillows… headbands? Oh yes, headbands. This is a book that gives some old standbys to new sewers along with fresh new ideas, and I love that.

I’ve been sewing since about 2001, and I’m in no way an expert, but I’ve been to this crafty rodeo a few times. As I paged through the book, I found instructions for cloth napkins on page 15 and boom – right there in one of the simplest first projects was a technique I’ve never done before! I decided to learn how to sew mitered corners.

I chose some fabrics that have been in my stash forever – a couple of plaid pieces of sample fabric from my days working at OshKosh B’Gosh, and a piece of antique farm-print fabric I had picked up at an estate sale years ago.

Before I knew it, I had a pile of cloth napkins sitting there! But something was bothering me about mine… Look at that top napkin’s corner and you’ll see it’s less than perfectly mitered. I still had a few more napkins to sew up, so I reread the directions even closer. Turns out I was reading them a little incorrectly! Lesson learned – maybe I’ve been to the sewing rodeo a few times, but that doesn’t mean I get to gloss over directions! I tried sewing the last few with the correct directions, and OMG guys. I love mitered corners. I want to miter the corners on everything. I want my son to have his toes sewn up in perfectly little mitered corners. Is that weird?

I am so excited to have this book as a giveaway this week – let’s get it going! Are you just learning to sew? You need this book! Are you an expert sewer? This could be a perfect free gift for someone on your Christmas shopping list, or great inspiration for speedy projects you can make for friends and family for the holidays. There’s a few ways you can enter to win:

1) Leave comments. Comment as often as you like on blog posts dated 11/20/11 through 12/3/11 – every legitimate comment will count as a giveaway entry! Note I said legitimate. Commenting on a post with spam will get you disqualified. Commenting fifty times with 1 letter or 1 word comments will get you disqualified. Commenting on the fact that my son poops too much will probably get you a high five.

2) Join the mailing list!

3) Twitter a link to our site! To be counted, you MUST include @hrtsnlaserbeams in your tweet or else I won’t see it.

Here’s the legal mumbo jumbo. Contest entries will be accepted from 11/20/11 through midnight on 12/3/11. This contest is open to residents of the continental US only. Sorry, postage is ridiculously expensive. If I email you that you’ve won and I don’t hear back within 5 business days, I will pick another winner. You should make sure heartsandlaserbeams@gmail.com is on your email contacts list to be on the safe side! All winners are picked by www.random.org. All prizes have been provided by Chronicle Books. That’s pretty much it. Also, if you spam comment to win you will be disqualified. Keep it real folks, and good luck!